Managing Business Responsibly

How Annealing Improves The Properties Of Steel

by Priscilla Terry

The type of steel that you choose for your product plays an important role in how your product will perform. However, equally important is how the type of steel is fabricated. One option during the steel fabrication process is annealing. This is a very important technique when you want to improve the properties of your steel.

Magnetism

Steel can often be used to create a perfect magnet because of the natural arrangement of the atoms. If you need to construct a magnet, annealing will improve the magnetism of the magnet.

Material Structure

The overall material structure of the steel can be improved through annealing. During the steel fabrication process, cold work stress becomes locked inside the microcrystalline structure of the steel. Various forms of heat treatment further exacerbate the issue. However, annealing work can restore the material, release stress and make the steel more workable. It's essential to relieving stress because they can break at room temperature.

Ductility

After annealing, the steel can be processed further without cracking. This allows you to create exactly what your company needs without the risk of needing more sheet steel. Annealing also helps with steel ductility. The ductility of steel is the most important characteristic because steel must be able to deform so that it can be used for a variety of purposes. The perfect steel for your project will likely need to have high ductility while also being very tough while not being hard or brittle.

Brittleness

When you apply force to some metals, they will bend without breaking. Other metals will break. When you add certain alloys to steel to achieve certain desired properties, you may find yourself with more brittle metal as a side effect. Fortunately, through the annealing process, you'll be able to make the metal less brittle.

Homogeneity 

Because you may be mixing several metals with steel, you'll want the steel to be homogenous throughout. When steel containing an alloy is not homogenous, it will contain separate particles that can be viewed with a microscope. This will make your metal part less reliable. Annealing will improve homogeneity. 

Appearance

Regardless of what your product will be used for, the appearance of the product plays an important role in shaping the perception of your customers. When you use annealing on a steel part, it will look much smoother and sharper. Therefore, it's important to turn to an annealing service when working with steel.

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